Chapter 177: the breaking point

The Breaking Point

The house was silent. Too silent.

It wasn’t the peaceful kind of silence, the kind that came with a snowfall or a quiet evening by the fire. No, this silence was heavy, suffocating, like the air itself was weighed down by grief.

My mother hadn’t moved from her spot by the window in days. She sat there, staring out at nothing, her silver hair unkempt, her face gaunt. It was as if she had become part of the furniture, just another object in the room, lifeless and unmoving.

I couldn’t take it anymore.

I clenched my fists at my sides, my nails digging into my palms so hard that I was sure they would draw blood. I had seen my mother cry before, but never like this. Never so... empty.

She barely spoke. She barely ate. She barely even saw me anymore.

I had lost Yong. I had lost Lira. But I was losing her too.

And I didn’t know how to stop it.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the burning in my chest. I had to do something. Anything.

“Mother.”

No response.

I stepped closer, forcing myself to keep my voice steady. “Mother, you need to eat something.”

She didn’t even blink.

I gritted my teeth.

She had always been strong. She had always been the one holding us together. But now, she was breaking apart, and I didn’t know how to piece her back together.

I thought back to that night—when Sirius had walked away, saying he needed space. When we had all woken up the next morning to find him gone.

And Yong and Lira… dead.

I had stood outside in the snow, looking down at the body of the man who had raised me, my breath coming out in sharp bursts. Yong had always been so strong, so unshakable. But he had looked so small lying there, blood seeping into the white snow around him.

And Lira…

She had been so young. Too young.

I had watched the villagers carry their bodies away, their faces grim, their eyes filled with unspoken accusations.

They blamed her.

I had heard them whispering.

"She let him in."

"She brought this upon us."

"She trusted the dragon king, and look what he did."

I knew my mother had heard them too. But she hadn’t defended herself. She hadn’t said a word.

Because maybe… maybe she believed them.

Maybe she blamed herself too.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and knelt beside her chair.

“Mother.” My voice was quieter this time, but it carried every ounce of the desperation I felt. “Please… say something.”

She turned her head slightly, just enough that I could see the hollowness in her eyes.

And then, finally, she spoke.

“I killed them.”

Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it hit me like a blade.

“No,” I said firmly, shaking my head. “Sirius killed them.”

She let out a bitter, broken laugh. “Because I let him in.”

I couldn’t stand it. I couldn’t stand hearing her say that.

I grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at me. “You didn’t kill them, Mother. He did. And I swear, I’m going to make him pay.”

She flinched at my words, her eyes flickering with something, fear, maybe. Or pain. “No,” she whispered. “No, Aster. You can’t. He’s too strong. If you go after him”

“I will go after him,” I said, my voice shaking with anger. “Because I can’t just sit here and do nothing. I can’t just..” My voice broke, and I turned away, staring at the floor. “I can’t lose anyone else.”

Silence stretched between us, heavy and unbearable.

Then, suddenly, my mother reached for me, pulling me into a tight embrace.

I froze, shocked. She hadn’t touched me in days. Maybe longer.

“I can’t lose you too,” she murmured against my hair. “Aster… you’re all I have left.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, swallowing against the lump in my throat.

And in that moment, for the first time in what felt like forever, I let myself grieve.

For Yong.

For Lira.

For the life we had lost.

For the mother I wasn’t sure I’d ever get back.